ACME, Rushcutters Bay

There’s no denying that I love pasta. It’s a love that runs deep. When I was a 6 or 7-year-old girl, if someone asked me what my favorite food was, my answer was ‘lasagna’ without fail. To this day I still have a special place for lasagna in my heart. New kid on the block ACME in Rushcutters Bay has a vegetarian lasagna (ie. loaded with a medley of mushrooms and served deconstructed), but it’s not the standout dish for me. Instead it’s the too-good-for-words macaroni with pig’s head and egg yolk. Oof. Give me more. Other pasta highlights are dotted with Asian influences: the linguine with chilli and black garlic is like an Italian mi goreng, and the fettuccine with spring veggies is strewn with black sesame.

ACME’s idea of sharing pasta dishes around the table is pretty novel. And because I love variety, this works in my favor. But I’m a bit conflicted because when it comes to pasta, sometimes I just want a big-ass bowl to myself. This is easily rectified by ordering multiple pasta dishes though. I think at my next ACME visit I’ll double up on more of the pasta dishes.

On the non-pasta portion of the menu, I love the baloney sandwich, despite the fact that I have no connection whatsoever to the Australian nostalgia that is the devon sandwich. Soft potato bun, mortadella, housemade tomato sauce – you really can’t fault it. Another small plate hero is the asparagus with a caramel-esque brown butter and crunchy pops of quinoa. The dessert menu is exclusively focused on ice cream, with loads of savory flavors balancing out the sweet, which I’ve always been a fan of.

During my visit, we’re seated right by the open kitchen, which is pretty awesome because it allows us to watch Mitch Orr & co (like the creeps we are) prepare all the delicious food. Note that the pasta is cooked al dente (and sadly there’s a bit of a trend in Australia to cook the crap out of pasta – not here though – huzzah!). Get there, I say.